Patti Goettsch has nearly three decades of teaching under her belt, but in all those years, she's never seen a class of students as large as the one she is teaching now.

Goettsch, a third-grade teacher at Pine Bend Elementary School in Inver Grove Heights, currently has 32 students in her classroom. If you think she's a statistical outlier, think again. Several other classrooms in the school have more than 30 students, and the average student-to-teacher ratio at Pine Bend is 26.7:1, according to information released by the Inver Grove Heights School District.

Compare that to the 25.5:1 ratio at Hilltop Elementary, or the much lower 24:1 student-to-teacher ratio at Salem Hills Elementary.

The overcrowding at Pine Bend has drawn concern from both parents and district officials. At the Inver Grove Heights School Board meeting on Dec. 20, Pine Bend PTSA President Lori Sticha gave a presentation on the burgeoning class sizes at the elementary school. The high student-to-teacher ratio makes it more difficult for teachers to form relationships with students and creates a loud and distracting environment that detracts from the education students receive, Stricha said in her presentation to the board.

"The classrooms are overflowing with kids," said Sticha, who has two children attending Pine Bend. "We strongly believe our children's learning is being compromised."

BEHIND THE NUMBERS

District officials say a combination of factors led to the unusually large class sizes at Pine Bend.

Chief among them may the school's own achievement rate. For three years, Hilltop Elementary has failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress under the No Child Left Behind Act. Last year, students at Salem Hills saw a significant drop in their AYP test scores, District Superintendent Dr. Deidre Wells said.

Unlike its fellow elementary schools, Pine Bend continues to score well on the yearly tests. Because the other two elementary schools have more immediate needs, the district hasn't allocated as many resources or teachers to Pine Bend, Wells said.

The sanctions Hilltop faces for failing to meet AYP standards further complicate the issue, according to Pine Bend Principal Ruth Ann Moore. Under state legislation, students at schools that consistently fail AYP are allowed to enroll at other schools in the district. Over the last several years, a number of Hilltop students have chosen to come to Pine Bend, Moore said, adding to the already large class sizes.

But district finances also play a part in the problem, both Wells and Moore said. Last year, to compensate for stagnant state aid funding, the district cut nearly $830,000 from its budget. At Pine Bend, that meant staffing cuts. In 2010, Moore said, the school chose not to replace a retiring second-grade teacher, and cut a part-time position from Kindergarten.

"It always boils down to how much money can we afford to spend," Moore said. "We're trying desperately to find a level that will not break the bank, but will meet the needs of the students."

WHAT'S BEING DONE?

Both Wells and Moore were aware of the overcrowding at Pine Bend before Stricha's presentation last week.

Since 2008, the district has added two part-time reading specialists to Pine Bend.  The specialists work outside of the classroom with students who are having difficult mastering reading skills. Their presence, Moore said, reduced pressure on classroom teachers, who are often so tied up managing their classrooms that they can't give students the needed one-on-one instruction.

Moore has also instituted a mentoring program at the school where specialists like music and gym teachers or paraprofessionals meet regularly with five students to monitor their academic progress, help them with homework and get to know the students personally.

Earlier this winter, Sticha and the PTSA met with district administration to discuss the problem. The part-time teachers and mentoring program may have helped, but the only permanent solution to the problem, Sticha believes, is to add more teachers to the school staff.

But that solution is out of reach for the district, according to Wells, who said the district's financial position prevents them from hiring additional full-time teachers at Pine Bend or expanding on the building. The only financially feasible solution, Wells said, may be a drastic change to the educational model the district uses.

Until that happens, teachers at Pine Bend will have to continue to adjust to growing class sizes.

"It's not impossible, but it's different," said Goettsch, who says the size of her classroom makes it difficult for her to form deep relationships with students and manage the everyday needs of the classroom.

"We handle it, but it's not how we would like to do it," she said.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Hilltop Elementary:

            --Total number of students: 689

            --Student to teacher ratio: 25.5:1

Salem Hills Elementary

            --Total number of students: 462

            --Student to teacher ratio: 24:1

Pine Bend Elementary

            --Total number of students: 534

            --Student to teacher ratio: 26.7